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rose cuttings failure

Tried to root rose cuttings that were beginning to leaf out both outside in sand and inside with bottom heat. None calloused, all failed. Is there a way to do it or is it the wrong time? Any success with cuttings that are trying to leaf out, that still root? How?

Comments (26)

  • berrypiez6b
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I thought the best time is right after the full rose bloom fades, I don't remember where I read that..

    Ive tried many cuttings that all failed. Oddly after a storm in mid summer that broke branches off, I stuck pieces in the flower bed and 1 out of about 6 is growing. I don't know which rose it is yet.

  • rosecanadian
    last year

    Did you cut about an inch down from a "V" and then scrape away the green from the bottom to right around and above the V and then bury the V? That always works for me...roots grow right around the V. I just use potting soil and cover the top by using the top (with a lid) of a milk plastic jug. Then after a week or two I take the lid off. Then after another 2 weeks I take the whole jug off. I hope it works for you. :) :)

  • BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
    last year

    One thing I always did wrong was overwater….that always turns them black. Someone recommended that you put the cuttings in a big clear plastic tub covered and don’t water for over a month. So i prepared my cuttings and went on vacation for two months. I came back to over 60 rooted little plants!

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    last year

    The only time I've tried spring cuttings was when someone forced a bunch of Dorothy Perkins on me in April. It worked because it was Dorothy Perkins.

    The usual recommendation is to take a cutting from a recently bloomed stem. We used to take a lot of cuttings from the local rose show, and those tended to do quite well. Though there is a lot of variation on how easily different roses grow roots. There is also variation on how different roses respond to different rooting methods.

    I've said it before, but I think it is worth repeating. Cuttings can smell fear. In practical terms, I think they benefit from benign neglect.

  • forever_a_newbie_VA8
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I got a few cuttings from a friend last weekend, and put them in pots covered by clear plastic bags. Thanks Ben for pointing out the overwater mistake. I will try to forget about them and check back in a month.

  • User
    last year

    The only thing that seems to work (sometimes) for me is to take a cutting, sometime during the growing season, stick it in an outdoors pot that has another potted plant already in it (not a rose), and then just kind of forget about it for a few months. Any time I've tried the separate pot with a plastic bag, or even burrito method, they always, always rot, and I'm pretty careful about not over-watering.

  • ann beck 8a ruralish WA
    Original Author
    last year

    Paul Barden and mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY) I got hardwood to root, when I tried in Dec. outside wet PNW. But March was a disaster! Was it once the rose start shoots that it is done with rooting for a while?


  • dianela7analabama
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I have had luck getting the semihardened cuttings like

    Paul advised and if they have thorns I gently remove them from the bottom part (this exposes the wood under it), dusting them very lightly with rooting hormone and just sticking them on a pot with potting soil. I leave them under an oak tree near my back entrance, No bags or any coverings. I water sporadically. Some do fail but have decent success rate. I am not usually trying with rare varieties I desperately need or anything so it is just for fun and causes me no stress.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    last year

    I was successful putting/sticking the cuttings in the Fall outside in the ground uncovered. I will leave them this Summer and not try to move them until they are stronger.

  • rosecanadian
    last year

    I've even rooted (twice) a thin caned rose...Rosa Hugonis.

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    last year

    Hardwood cuttings and semi-hardwood cuttings are different beasts. I don't have a lot of experience with hardwood cuttings because I've assumed that it will only work with roses I expect to be tip hardy.

    Just from observation, roses seem to either emphasize leaf or root growth. Any time they are working on leaves, rooting is going to be difficult. Many people report failure with cuttings if they start growing leaves before properly rooting. So the timing is important.

    However, to a large extent, this is going to be determined by what works for YOU. And what is going to work can depend on climate, micro-climate, the types of roses you are trying to root, how 'attentive' you are, the exact 'method' you are following, and other things I've either never known or forgotten. The one thing I will point out, is that most roses do not need rooting hormone to root. There are roses that it helps. Malcolm Manners posted a tutorial on how he roots fortuniana for rootstock a few years ago, and part of that was heavy-duty doses of rooting hormone. However, your typical rose wants to root, and can manage it with a little encouragement.

  • Meghan (southern VT, 5b)
    last year

    Haha cuttings smell fear.


    Trying to get cuttings of other things going interested in roses. and the thing i keep reading is try and fail fail a lot keep failing. Lots of trial and error.


    thanks for this info!

  • jerijen
    last year

    For a plethora of methods, try articles at:

    Articles | Gold Coast Heritage Roses Group (goldcoast-roses.org)


    The most-complete directions are in:

    Microsoft PowerPoint - propagation (goldcoast-roses.org)

  • Moses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Here's a checklist of points of propagation that gave me the best takes:

    1. Air tight container kept humid to the point of water droplets forming on the container's sides.

    2. No direct sunlight until roots form. The brightest shade possible until then, no more.

    3. Rooting medium kept on dry side, or rot and cutting failure comes next.

    4. Cutting taken from just when petals drop from blooming stem.

    5. 4-5 nodes per cutting stem, no more.

    6. Scrape about 1/4" off on only one side of cutting end.

    7. Gel rooting hormone for rose cuttings sticks in place the best.

    8. Leave cuttings in propagator until roots form, regardless of how much new green growth is made.

    9. Always slowly graduate rooted cuttings to full sun, as well as to outdoor humidity.

    10. Never put any fertilizer in rooting medium. Cutting itself supplies all the energy for early top and root growth. When out of propagator, maximum 1/4 strength liquid feed every 10 days at first.

    11. Balance leaf amount to cutting size. Remove excess leaves. Most energy for rooting is stored in the stem, less so in leaves.

    12. Some roses root ridiculously easily. Some roses are hard to root.

    Moses

  • berrypiez6b
    last year

    You Rock Moses !

  • rosecanadian
    last year

    Moses - well said!! :) :)

  • berrypiez6b
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Here is another method from Backyard Paradise - the first video on the page.

    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+complete+guide+in+rose+propagation+backyard+paradise

  • Rosefolly
    last year

    Lots of good advice here.

    What Moses said is true - rose cultivars vary in the ease of rooting. Some will actually require mist propagation. Some are so easy you can take a cutting and stick in hthe ground and it will strike. Grandmother's Hat is one of these. I know this from personal experience.

    But most roses are relatively easy and will root with one or the other or even all of these methods.

  • Meg-zone8aOR
    last year

    I second trying the method from Backyard Paradise on youtube https://youtu.be/6ln0BaYaTXY 

    It worked well for me after several other attempts failed. @strawchicago z5 shared this on another post here and I've had a good success rate with it, thanks Straw!

  • strawchicago z5
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Meg-zone8aOR Thanks for mentioning about me.

    The above YouTube said to use Organic potting soil, but that soil plus MG-Nature's Care ORGANIC potting soil (green bag) have CHUNKS OF ACIDIC barks that rot rootings.

    Pro-Mix potting soil for seedling or Jiffy Organic soil for seedling are much better since they don't have chunks of acidic barks.

    I use 1/2 perlite with 1/2 peatmoss-potting soil with thorny varieties, but 1/3 perlite with 2/3 potting soil with some water-hog Austins. Below are my rootings using the above method, pic. taken this year. Below are W.S. 2000 rootings, one has 2 buds after 2 months of sticking the cuttings into Grow-bag (inside a plastic bin):



    Below are a box of Evelyn rootings, which I sent to Hummingbird Roses. They are 1 foot tall.


    Below are rootings with roots that grow through fabric Grow-bags, grown in clear plastic bin or glass cookie-jar. I don't transfer them into potting soil UNTIL I see roots coming out of the bags.


  • jacqueline9CA
    last year

    This is a wonderful thread!


    Jackie

  • Meg-zone8aOR
    last year

    Straw your cuttings look wonderful! I hope mine turn out that well. I used the grow bags in a glass cookie jar and they have roots growing through the bottom of the bags now. When you put them into pots do you take them out of the bags, or do you just stick the bag into the pot so that the roots aren't disturbed? Thanks for sharing your expertise! I am very new to this and am just so excited that I got roots at all! :)

  • strawchicago z5
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Meg-zone8aOR The ones that I took roots COMPLETELY OUT of the bags and planted in potting soil have better root system than the ones that I kept in the bag and stuck the entire bag into potting soil.

    I kept Evelyn in the bags since I meant to send those bags to Hummingbird roses. Except the bags were too heavy to ship. When I took their roots out of the bags, I broke off many roots that got entangled after being grown past 2 months in a fabric bag.

    Tiny amount of Osmocote PLUS (with trace elements for blooming) helps to induce blooms after 2 months of rooting. My purpose of inducing blooms is to double-check the identity of a rose, before sending out. Below are 2 buds on a 2 1/2 month rooting, pic. taken early August:


  • charles kidder
    last year

    I've tried something new this year that's worked great. I place the cuttings in water for about a month and give them some sun. After a month or so, they've formed callous and then I put them in a pot. They can take the sun when in water and it helps keep them strong. Once in a pot, they form roots quickly. if I keep them in a pot in the shade, they seem to go downhill and it's a race for them to form roots before they atrophy too much. This way they stay strong for the 1st month. I change the water maybe 2x a week to keep the water oxygenated.

  • jacqueline9CA
    last year

    Moving this up, as it contains such a plethora of different idea re how to root cuttings.

    Jackie

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